EU-US energy cooperation: Forging stronger connections in times of division
Dan Jørgensen is the EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing. This essay is part of the Global Energy Agenda.
Looking from Europe to the United States, across the great span of the Atlantic Ocean, it is not always easy to find our common connections.
I discovered this first-hand when my academic pursuits brought me to Seattle. For instance, I realized early on that we certainly do not share the same definition of “football.” We also have different ideas on what constitutes a “large” portion size. A visit to a pastry shop shows that we even have different definitions of “Danish.”
But as I grew accustomed to life in the Emerald City, and, in particular, as I met neighbors and made friends, I came to recognize many of the same qualities that I admired among my own people: an appreciation for hard work, humility, and shared human values.
Many years later, as we begin the latest chapter in EU-US relations, some in Europe have looked across the Atlantic and speculated about potential differences and divisions. However, as I take on the role of European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, I see more ways in which our relationship is defined by our common interests.
First and foremost, we have a common interest in a stable, secure, and rules-based international order, in which freedoms are upheld and borders are respected. That is why we have committed our support and solidarity to the people of Ukraine. Since Russia began its illegal aggression, I have visited Ukraine twice. During these visits, I met people who have lost their families and their homes. I met people who have been living without basic necessities, such as electricity and heating. In fact, during the first two years of the war, Ukraine lost two-thirds of its overall electricity capacity due to brutal and relentless Russian attacks. The united support of the European Union and the United States, including through the Group of Seven Plus (G7+), offers Ukraine a crucial counterbalance to reinforce its energy security. Maintaining this cooperation in the coming years, to support the reconstruction and reform of Ukraine’s energy sector, will be equally essential.
Of course, in the context of geopolitical instability, we must also protect our own energy systems. Here, EU-US cooperation on cybersecurity will be important. Digitalization helps to make our energy systems more efficient, reliable, and sustainable. However, without proper precautions, it can also make our systems more vulnerable to malicious attacks, which are expanding in their reach and increasing in their frequency. We must tackle these threats together, for example, by maintaining our engagement via EU-US cyber dialogues and Group of Seven (G7) meetings on Cybersecurity for Digital Energy Infrastructure Systems.
Another priority shared across the Atlantic is to ensure strong and secure supplies of affordable energy. We want to bring down bills for our citizens and strengthen the competitiveness of our companies. In this regard, there are a number of areas where it is plainly in our common interest to cooperate. For example, liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States could continue to play a vital part in completing our REPowerEU objective to phase out Russian energy supplies to the EU.
A key aspect of this joint work will be to diversify our sources of energy. For instance, nuclear will continue to be an integrated part of our energy mix and an important part of the solution to decarbonize our energy systems. Continuing our long-standing cooperation with the United States in the nuclear sector is therefore a priority—in particular, to diversify nuclear fuel and fuel services, to spur investment in small modular reactors, and to foster EU-US leadership in advancing nuclear fusion.
Similarly, we must continue our cooperation in securing critical raw materials. EU-US collaboration enables us to source vital minerals for our energy systems, reduce vulnerabilities in our supply chains, and reward responsible economic actors by sharing the benefits of next-generation energy.
Taking a longer-term view of our energy security, the EU remains committed to pursuing sustainable energy and decarbonization. We do not pursue these objectives for ideological reasons, but for logical reasons. From a competitiveness point of view, the EU is a global leader in key clean tech segments such as wind and heat pumps. We are also leading on hydrogen—including electrolyzers. As a result of our work in these and other clean energy sectors, the share of renewables in our electricity mix increased from 36 percent in 2021 to 46 percent in 2024. As we continue our work to combine competitiveness, innovation, and decarbonization, this share will only increase, ensuring a strong, secure, and sustainable supply of affordable energy for our citizens.
The EU will never close its door on any international partner who is willing to share the path toward a global energy system that is fair, secure, and sustainable. We take this path not because it is easy, but because it is essential.
Similarly, in the face of challenges to come, it will be essential to find and reinforce our common connections, wherever they exist.
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Image: Photovoltaic panels are seen on the roofs of buildings located in Schweitenkirchen, north-west of the Bavarian capital Munich, Germany, October 20, 2021. REUTERS/Lukas Barth